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First Student Acquires 2 Canadian School Bus Operator Locations

The school transportation provider will provide service to Campeau Bus Lines locations in Ottawa and Bowmanville.

January 21, 2020
First Student Acquires 2 Canadian School Bus Operator Locations

The school transportation provider has acquired two Campeau Bus Lines locations: one in Ottawa and another in Bowmanville. Photo courtesy First Student

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The school transportation provider has acquired two Campeau Bus Lines locations: one in Ottawa and another in Bowmanville. Photo courtesy First Student

OTTAWA, Ontario — First Student announced on Friday that it has signed an agreement to acquire two Campeau Bus Lines locations: one in Ottawa and another in Bowmanville.

Campeau is an Ontario-based provider of school and charter transportation services. The acquisition will help expand First Student's operations in the province, where it currently has about 40 locations, according to a news release from the school transportation company.

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While details about the agreement have not yet been disclosed, the deal is expected to be complete in February and will be subject to school boards and consortia approvals to transfer contracts, according to First Student.

“First Student continues to grow through acquisitions, and Campeau Bus Lines is a longtime, well-respected transportation provider. They have a great team of drivers and staff who share in our mission to provide safe and reliable transportation,” said Paul Osland, president of First Student. “We will continue to execute our growth strategy and search for opportunities to use our resources, insight, and expertise to benefit school systems, students, and families across North America.”

Founded in 1961, Campeau Bus Lines’ Ottawa and Bowmanville locations serve five school consortia with a fleet of more than 500 buses.

“First Student is the clear industry leader, and we are confident they can build on our success in Ottawa and Bowmanville,” said Jacques Campeau, president of Campeau Bus Lines. “Our employees and customers will benefit from First Student’s ability to leverage best practices, technologies, and processes to deliver forward-thinking transportation solutions.”

First Student currently provides transportation service to more than 200,000 Ontario students every school day. The acquisition of Campeau is the second for the company in four months.

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As previously reported in October, First Student acquired Hopewell Transportation, a Chicagoland-based provider of school transportation services for special-needs students and their families.

In other recent news related to First Student, School Bus Fleet reported in December that FirstGroup PLC, the parent company of the school transportation provider, is considering selling its North American school bus and public transportation companies, building on a plan that includes the sale of Greyhound.

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